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Rebecca Kleefisch
| Rebecca Kleefisch | ||
 | ||
| Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin | ||
| Incumbent | ||
| In office | ||
| January 3, 2011 - Present | ||
| Term ends | ||
| 2014 | ||
| Years in position | 2 | |
| Party | Republican | |
| Predecessor | Barbara Lawton (D) | |
| Compensation | ||
| Base salary | $76,261 | |
| Elections and appointments | ||
| Last election | June 5, 2012 | |
| First elected | November 2, 2010 | |
| Next election | November 4, 2014 | |
| Campaign $ | $1,577,981 | |
| Term limits | N/A | |
| Education | ||
| Bachelor's | University of Wisconsin-Madison | |
| Personal | ||
| Birthday | October 8, 1975 | |
| Websites | ||
| Office website | ||
Contents |
Kleefisch and Walker faced, and won, separate recall elections on June 5, 2012 that stemmed from their support for a law restricting collective bargaining rights. Kleefisch is the first and only lieutenant governor to face a recall.[2][3]
Kleefisch's term has focused mainly on jobs and veterans issues. She has been credited with coining the phrase "Wisconsin is Open for Business" and serves as the state's "Jobs Ambassador," leading the Governor's Small Business Summits.[4]
Kleefisch is eligible for re-election on November 4, 2014, but has yet to make her intentions known.
Biography
Kleefisch was born in the State of Michigan to David and Marijo Reed. Kleefisch also grew up in Northwest Ohio before moving to Wisconsin. Rebecca's father David, was the Vice President of Marketing for the Butler Corporation, which made envelopes, while her mother Marijo was an Interior Designer[5].
Kleefisch attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison and graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Journalism and Mass Communication in 1997[6] [7]. After graduating from college, Rebecca began her Journalism career as a reporter for WIFR-TV in Rockford, Illinois[5]. Kleefisch continued her career as a reporter for WISN-TV in Milwaukee[5]. The former journalist was noted for her coverage at WISN of the 2002 Milwaukee County Pension Scandal. The scandal resulted the recalls of County Board Chairwoman Karen Ordains, along with County Board Supervisor Kathleen Arciszewski. Also, former County Executive Tom Ament resigned[5]
Kleefisch left WISN-TV in 2004 to be a full-time mother after giving birth to her first child[5]. She later formed her own marketing company before briefly returning to journalism in 2009 as a correspondent for WTMJ radio in Milwaukee. In 2010, Kleefisch announced her run for Lieutenant Governor[8]
Education
- BA, journalism, University of Wisconsin, Madison
Political career
Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin (2011-Present)
Kleefisch has served as Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin since 2011. She survived a recall election on June 5, 2012.
Kleefisch has defined her main duty as being the state's "job ambassador." She went on to describe her role, saying, "I get paid to facilitate job creation and workforce preparedness, among other duties. With few constitutional responsibilities, the Wisconsin lieutenant governor can be nimble enough to focus on the most pressing issues and policy priorities of our state at any given time."[9]
Elections
2014
Kleefisch is eligible to run for re-election as Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor in 2014. She has not yet made her intentions in the race known.
2012
Kleefisch defeated Mahlon Mitchell (D) in a recall election on June 5, 2012. She was unopposed in the primary on May 8.
| Recall of Wisconsin Lt. Governor Rebecca Kleefisch, 2012 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Rebecca Kleefisch Incumbent |
52.9% | 1,301,739 | |
| Democratic | Mahlon Mitchell | 47% | 1,156,520 | |
| Scattering | - | 0.1% | 3,077 | |
| Total Votes | 2,461,336 | |||
| Election Results Via: Wisconsin Government Accountability Board | ||||
An effort to recall Kleefisch was launched on November 15, 2011. Supporters turned in approximately 845,000 signatures on January 17, 2012 and on March 30, the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board unanimously certified about 809,000 of them.[10]
Endorsements
- Tea Party Express[11]
2010
Kleefisch defeated four other candidates in the September 14 primary. She faced Tom Nelson (D) and Terry Virgil (L) in the general election on November 2, 2010. Kleefisch ran on the same ticket with Scott Walker and won the election.
| Wisconsin Governor/Lt. Governor, 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Scott Walker/Rebecca Kleefisch |
52.2% | 1,128,941 | |
| Democratic | Tom Barrett/Tom Nelson | 46.5% | 1,004,303 | |
| Independent | Jim Langer/No candidate | 0.5% | 10,608 | |
| Libertarian | No candidate/Terry Virgil | 0.3% | 6,790 | |
| Common Sense | James James/No candidate | 0.4% | 8,273 | |
| Independent | Leslie Ervin Smetak/David Myron Smetak | 0% | 19 | |
| Independent | Patricia Messici/No candidate | 0% | 22 | |
| Independent | Hari Trivedi/No candidate | 0% | 18 | |
| - | Scattering | 0.1% | 1,858 | |
| Total Votes | 2,160,832 | |||
| Election Results Via: Wisconsin Government Accountability Board | ||||
Campaign contributions
Comprehensive donor information for Kleefisch is available dating back to 2010. Based on available campaign finance records, Kleefisch raised a total of $2,305,981 during that time period. This information was last updated on May 6, 2013.[12]
| Rebecca Kleefisch's Campaign Contribution History | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Office | Result | Contributions | |
| 2012 | Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor |  |
$1,919,699 | |
| 2010 | Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor | |
$386,282 | |
| Grand Total Raised | $2,305,981 | |||
2012
Kleefisch won re-election to the position of Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin in 2012. During that election cycle, Kleefisch raised a total of $1,191,699.
| Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin 2012 election - Campaign Contributions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top contributors to Rebecca Kleefisch's campaign in 2012 | ||||
| Friends of Scott Walker | $49,365 | |||
| Wisconsin Republican Party | $26,057 | |||
| Jere C. Fabick | $25,000 | |||
| Daniel F. McKeithan | $12,500 | |||
| Kathryn M. Burke | $10,000 | |||
| Total Raised in 2012 | $1,191,699 | |||
| Source:Follow the Money | ||||
2010
Ballotpedia collects information on campaign donors for each year in which a candidate or incumbent is running for election. The following table offers a breakdown of Renecca Kleefisch's donors each year.[13] Click [show] for more information.
| Renecca Kleefisch's Campaign Contributions | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin | |||||||||||||||||||
| Total Raised | $386,282 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Total Raised by General Election Opponent | $6,141,017 (Dem) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Top 5 contributors | Wisconsin Realtors Association | $12,939 | |||||||||||||||||
| Citizens for Kedzie | $12,500 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Tavern League of Wisconsin | $12,500 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Wisconsin Builders Association | $10,500 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Judith M Couri | $10,000 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Individuals | $286,918 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Institutions | $71,255 | ||||||||||||||||||
| In-state donations | $364,740 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Out-of-state donations | $17,757 | ||||||||||||||||||
Personal
Rebecca is married to her husband Joel Kleefisch who is currently a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly. The Kleefisch's reside in Oconomowoc.[5]
Contact information
Capitol Address:
Office of the Lieutenant Governor
19 East, State Capitol
P.O. Box 2043
Madison, WI 53702
Phone: (608) 266-3516
FAX: (608) 267-3571
E-Mail: ltgov@wisconsin.gov
[14]
Recent news
This section displays the most recent stories in a Google news search for the term "Rebecca + Kleefisch + Wisconsin + Lieutenant + Governor"
- All stories may not be relevant to this page due to the nature of the search engine.
Rebecca Kleefisch News Feed
- How Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch Juggles Career with Motherhood - Patch.com
- Art student paints happy cows - Wausau Daily Herald
- It's not easy to be pro-life - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
- Carr picks up Fleischmann's former campaign director - Knoxville News Sentinel
- Natural gas boom fuels frac sand mining, political spending - Juneau County Star-Times
- Wis. governor to court Iowans, stoke 2016 talk - News & Observer
- Real price of sand in Wisconsin: Political spending, impaired property values ... - Twin Cities Daily Planet (blog)
- Bondi leading national effort to help elect women for state offices - BizPac Review
- Republicans Aim to Recruit, Elect More Women - ABC News (blog)
- As GOP tries to reach out to women, state-based group re-launches - NBCNews.com (blog)
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See also
External links
- Official Website of Lieutenant Governor Rebecca Kleefisch
- Rebecca Kleefisch campaign website
- Project Vote Smart biography
- Rebecca Kleefisch on Facebook
- Rebecca Kleefisch on Twitter
- Rebecca Kleefisch on YouTube
References
- ↑ 620 WTMJ, "Rebecca Kleefisch Runs for Lt. Governor," January 2010
- ↑ Associated Press/C-SPAN, "Campaign 2012 - Wisconsin Election Results," June 5, 2012
- ↑ LaCrosse Tribune, "Kleefisch, first lieutenant governor to face recall," June 5, 2012
- ↑ Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor, "Who is Rebecca Kleefisch?" accessed April 11, 2013
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 Office of Lieutenant Governor Rebecca Kleefisch "Welcome"(Biography is located on the right section of the website's home page)
- ↑ LinkedIn "Public Profile of Rebecca Kleefisch"
- ↑ JSOnline "Kleefisch, Nelson square off for lieutenant governor's job", October 10, 2010
- ↑ JSOnline "Rebecca Kleefisch makes run for No. 2 post", January 19, 2010
- ↑ Governing, "How Successful Are Lieutenant Governors Seeking the Governorship?," April 12, 2013
- ↑ WTAQ, "Recall elections officially ordered against Gov. Walker, 5 other GOP lawmakers," March 30, 2012
- ↑ Wauwatosa Patch, "Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch Thankful for Tea Party Express' Endorsement," May 21, 2012
- ↑ Follow the Money, " Career fundraising for Rebecca Kleefisch," accessed May 6, 2013
- ↑ Follow the Money.org
- ↑ Office of Lieutenant Governor Rebecca Kleefisch "Contact Us"
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Barbara Lawton (D) |
Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin 2011 - present |
Succeeded by NA |
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